1. Technical Field
The following disclosure relates to a drive device and an ink-jet printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a sheet conveying device configured to transmit power from a single drive source to a plurality of rollers. This sheet conveying device includes a conveying roller for conveying a sheet, a drive gear provided on one end of the conveying roller, a switching gear, and a plurality of transmission gears.
The drive gear is rotated together with the conveying roller. The switching gear is movable in parallel with a rotation axis of the drive gear and is always meshed with the drive gear in an area in which the switching gear is movable. The plurality of transmission gears are rotatable around a common rotation axis parallel with the rotation axis of the switching gear and are aligned coaxially. Each of the transmission gears transmits power to a corresponding device to be driven, in a state in which the transmission gear is meshed with the switching gear.
The movement of the switching gear switches which transmission gear is meshed with the switching gear among the plurality of transmission gears. This sheet conveying device moves the switching gear and thereby changes a destination of the power transmitted from the drive gear, to drive a corresponding device via the transmission gear meshed with the switching gear. The sheet conveying device is capable of executing a processing of rotating the switching gear in forward and reverse rotational directions alternately by the same amount via the drive gear. The sheet conveying device moves the switching gear in its axial direction by repeating this processing a predetermined number of times in a state in which the switching gear receives power in a direction in which the switching gear is to be moved.